Wax-thread sewing-machine.



T. H. SE.

WAX THREAD SEWING MACHINE.

APPUCATION FILED 1AN.25. w15.

LQQQG Patented May 6, i919.

3 sHEETs-sHEH 1. i3?

T. H. SEELY WAX THREAD SEWING MACHmE.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.25, i915.

Paened May 6, NYS,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T. H. SEELY,

WAX THREAD SEWIIIG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IAII.25. I9I5. l .atented May 6, M9.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- y man sans Para@ ormoni.,

THOMAS H. SEELY, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO UNTED SHOE MACHINERY CORPOTION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A COR- PORATON OF @GEW JERSEY.

'17V-THREAD SEmNG-MACHINE.

incassa' Application lecl January 25, 11.915A Serial No. 4,269.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. SEELY, a v

^ clear, and eXact description of the invention, p

such as'will enable others skilled in the art to Vwhich it appertains to make and use the same. i

This invention relates to wax threadl sewing machines and more particularly to inclosing casings or hoods for such machines.

lln a wax thread sewing machine the Wax is ordinarily applied to the needle thread by conducting the thread leading from the supply through a receptacle or pot containing melted wax. rl`he wax pot is usually located at some distance from the sewing point and the thread'after emerging from-the WaX pot passes over a series of thread handling devices before it reaches the work. 1t is prac'- tically essential in sewing with wax thread that the thread be kept warm from the time when it emerges from the wax pot until it reaches the work in order that the wax which is applied to the thread may be in proper condition when the thread is incor'` porated in the seam. lln a lock-stitch, wax thread sewing machine lthe waxis usually applied to the bobbin thread while the bobbin is being wound', the bobbin full of waxed thread being inserted in the rotary hook or shuttle prior to the beginning of the sewing operation. 1n order to keep the needle thread warm from the 4time that it leaves the wax pot until it reaches the work, heating devices are usually provided for heating the parts of a wax thread sewing machine, particularly the arts Aadjacent the path of the thread from tlie wax pot to the work. lin a lock-stitch, wax thread sewing machine .provision is also made for heating the rotary hook or shuttle so as to reduce the wax on the bobbin thread' to the proper condition. lt is often difhcult to keep the parts of a wax thread machine properly heated, especially in cold weatherwhen the temperature of the stitching room in the shoe factory falls to a relatively low point. 1n summer when the windows of the stitching room are Specification of Letters Patent.

Patenten may e, reis.

opened drafts of air striking the machine chill the wax on the thread, causing a great l'deal of trouble. The chilling of the Wax on the thread causes frequent breakage of 'the thread and thus results in a waste of thread and also in a considerable loss-of time since 1t 1s necessary for the operator to rethread the machine each time that the thread is broken.

rll`he primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved inclosing casing'or hood for wax thread sewing machines which will elfectually retain the heat of the machine and protect the machine from air currents and which is so constructed that access may readily be had to the parts of the machine within the casing. With this and other objects in view the features of the invention consist of certain novel constructions, arrangements and combinations hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the advantages of which will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

rllhe accompanying 'drawings illustrate the invention in its preferred form and the novel features thereof will be readily understood from an inspection of the drawings and the following detailed description of the same. In the drawing Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a WaX thread sewing'machine with applicants inclosing casing or hood applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a central sectional View of the inclosing casing showing the movable sections or doors of the casing in normal or closed positions, and outlining certain parts of the sewingma'chine in dot and dash lines. Fig. 3 is a v'iew similar to Fig. 2 showing the movable sections or doors of the casing in openl positions. Fig. 4 isa d'etail sectional view of aportion of the casing taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig'. land illustrating certain parts of the machine in dot and dash lines. Fig.v 5 is a 'detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the parts of thev machine in full lines and Fig. 6 is ardetail View illustrating particularly the rear section of the casing.

The invention is illustrated in thc draw.- ings as applied to a lock-stitch, curved hook needle sewing machine for sewing outsolcs of welted shoes having substantially thc f certain features thereof maybe applied with' `advantage to other machines.

same construction as the machine illustrated in Ashworth application, Serial No. 769,566, filed May 24, 1913. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to this particular type of machine but that The sewing machine illustrated in the drawing withthe inclosing casing applied thereto comprises an oscillating curved hook needle 2, an awl 4, a rotary hook or shuttle 6, a work support .8, and a presser-foot 10. The presser-foot is mounted on a forwardly extending arm of a lever 12, pivoted at 14 n the frame of the machine. In' the machine illustrated, the presser-foot during each cycle of operations starting at a point just after 'the lwork has been fed, is moved into engagement with the work, is pressed against the work with a yielding pressure, and 1s then depressed positively apredetermined distance and is locked in depressed position during the formation of the stitch after which it is lifted from the work to permit the work to be f ed. The mechanism for actuating the presser-foot in this manner need not be described in this application. In order that the presser-foot may be unlocked and lifted at a time when it is normally locked in work engaging position a lever 16 is' pivotally mounted coaxially with the presser-foot lever 1,2. and isn provided with a lateral projection 18 arranged to engage the rear side of the downwardly projecting arm'of the lever 12. The upper end,

of the lever 16 is connected by a link 20 with an arm 22 of a lever 22-24 mounted on a shaft 26. The other arm 24, of the lever is arranged to act on the locking mechanism to unlock the presser-foot before it is lifted as fully described in the Ashworth application referred to above. The presser-foot is unlocked and lifted'manually by grasping the upper end of the lever 16 and swinging the same toward the rear of the machine.

The bobbin is inserted in a chamber in a cylindrical thread case which is mounted in an opening in the rotary hook 6. In order to enable the bobbin to be easily removed from the bobbin case without removing thebobbin case from the rotary hook a bobbin ejector 28 is mounted upon a shaft' 30 and is provided with a forwardly extending operating end adapted to enter an opening in the rear face of the bobbin case and engage the bobbin as it lies in the bobbin casevto thrust the same from the bobbin case. An arm 32 is fixed to the shaft 3() by which the bob,h

bin ejector may be operated manually in a.

manner hereinafter described. The bobbin ejector is normally held in inoperative posithe wax pot to the sewing point is shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. The thread passes from the supply down into the wax pot and as it emerges from the pot it extends through a stripping device not shown and over a thread truck 36 from which it passes forwardly through an opening or bore 38 in the frame of the machine. After emerging from the bore 38 the thread extends about the tension wheel 40 through the guide eyes of the pull-off device 42, about the thread truck 44 of the thread locking device, over the thread truck 46 of the auxiliary take-up, about the thread truck 48 of the main take-up, from the main take-up to the eye of looper 50 and thence to the work,

In the machine illustrated in the drawing, devices are provided for heating certain parts of themachine by steam. In order to heat the shuttle and certain adjacent parts of the machine the bracket above the shuttle is provided with a steam chamber 52 connected with asteam inlet pipe 54. The tension device take-up and'adjacent parts are heated by means of aA steam chamber 56 which certain of these parts are mounted and connectedwith the steam chamber 52 by means of a steam pipe 58. The exhaust pipe 60,from the steam chamber 56 is connected at its rear end with aU tube extending down into the wax pot which keeps the wax in the pot in a fluid condition along the path o f theVv thread. I The above construction and arrangement of the machine heating devices is not essential and any other suitable and convenient means for heating the'machine may be employed.

The casing for inclosing the head of the machine comprises a top section or cover' 62, two front sections 64 and 66 covering sub- -stantially the whole front portion of the machine and a rear section 68 covering the parts of the machine at the rear of the top section.

lThe forward portion of the top section 62 is secured to the frame by means of a screw 7 0 located substantially at the center thereof and theyrear portion of said section is secured by means of screws 72 to a bracket 7 2a fixed to the frame of the machine.

Thesection 64 of the casing consists of a movable closure or door pivoted to the frame of the machine upon Atrunnions 74 mounted in split clamps 76 on the frame and secured in place by means ofv clamping screws 78. This manner of mounting thesection 64 of the casing permits said section to swing forwardly and downwardly as shown in Fig. 3 to give vaccess to the parts of the machine covered by this section of the casing. To limit the distance which the section 64 can be swung and to sup ort the section when in open position a lin 80 having at its upY per end a slot 82 is mounted upon n rod 84 passing through the slot 82, the other end of incase? the link having a slot 86 in which engages a stud 88 fixed in the section 64 of the cas-1 ing. When the section 64 of the casing is closed therod 84 and stud 88 occupy the innerends respectively of the slot 82 and the slot 86 in the link as shown in Fig. As the section 64 of thecasing is opened the link 80 slides longitudinally along the rod 8,4 and the stud 88 moves toward the outer end of the slot 86V and the swin ing movement of the section 64 is limited y the engagement of the rod and the stud with theV ends of the respective slots in the link. With the section 64 in open position as shown in Fig. 3 theoperator can gain' access to any of the parts of the machine which are normally covered by this section of the casing to adjust or oil the same or for any other purose.l To-prevent the section 64 from swing-l ing freely from closed to open position, which might cause the rod 84 and the stud 88 to bring up against theends of the slots in the link 80 with considerable force and cause breakage of the parts, friction washers 90 are mounted on the rod 84 on each side of thev link 80 and a coiled spring 92 is interposed 'between the outer of said washers and a nut 94 threadedon the rod. This spring causes the washers 90 to frictionally engage both sides of the link and act as a` brake on the link to retard the downward swinging movement of the section .64. The section 64 of the casing is held 1n closed position by means of a clampingbolt 96 engaging in a slot 98 `in the section 64 and threaded into the section 62 of the casing. In opening the section 64 the bolt .96 1s partially unscrewed as shown in Fig. `3, the slot 98 in thel section 64 enabling said sectionto be swung to open position without entirely unscrewing thev bolt from the section 62. The upper edge of the section 64 at each side of the clamping bolt 96 is supported by means of adjustable abutment .screws .100 threaded into the top section of the casing.

,The top section 62 of the casing is provided with a shoulder 102 and this shoulder and the upper edge of the front section 64 are preferably formed to fit closely together when the sections 62 and 64 are properly located. To enable the shoulder 102 to be fitted accurately to the upper edge of the front section, the top section is adjustable aiigularly. The angular adjustment of the top section is aiiected by means of abutment screws 104 threaded into the rear portion of the top section and arranged to engage the bracket 72*1 at their lower ends. By loosening' the screws 70 and 72 and adjusting the abutment screws 104 the top section may be given the proper angular adjustment to fit the holt 102 to the upper edge of the section 64.

The section64 o'f thecasng may be adjuste@ ed laterally ot' the machine by loosening the 74a is mounted therein.

The'upper portion of the lower front section 66 of the easing fits into a recess in the upper front section 64 as shown particularly in Fi 4s. 1 and 2. The upper front section and t e lower front section are cut away respectively at 106 and 1108 so as to form an opening at the sewing point for the presentation of the shoe to the machine. The opening formed by cutting away the two front sections of the hood at the sewing point is relatively small as compared with the size of the shoe and inorder to permit the shoe to'be manipulated to present. the different portions thereof to the sewing mechanism as the point of operation is transf erred about the shoe, the lower front section of the casing is constructed to hug the machine closely, particularly at points in front of and to the rear of the point of operation asv shown in Fig. 5. The lower front section 66 of the casing coversf particularly the parts of. the thread handling mechanism at the front of the machine over which the thread passes on its way from the wax pot to the sewing point and assists in maintaining these parts in a properly heated condition. To permit the operator to gain access to the parts of the machine covered by the lower fron'ts's'ection this section of the lcasing is mounted so that it may be' swung from closed position to open position as shown in Fig. 3. To this end the section 66 is secured by -a clamping screw 110 to an arm 112 pivoted at 114 to the frame. rlhe upperedge o'fithe section 66 andthe adjoining lower edge'lof the upper front section 64 are preferably' formed so that these sections fit closely together when they are located in proper relative positions. In order arm 112 is formed with a slot 116 through which the clam ing screw passes.

The rear section 68 of the casing covering the parts of the machine below and to the rear of the top section 62 is pivoted upon the shaft 118 mounted in arms 120 of a bracket 122 fixed to the frame of the machine, the section 68 being formed with downwardly projecting arms or lugs 124 through which the shaft 118 passes. This manner of mounting the section 68 enables this section t be swung rearwardly and downwardly from closed position as shown in Fig. 3 to expose the parts of the machine covered by the same. The opening movement of the section 68 is limited by the engagement of an arm 126 formed on said section-with an abutment 128 on the frame of the machine. The position of the section 68 longitudinally of the shaft 118 is deter'- mined by fixed collars 130 mounted on the shaft and engaging the inner faces of the arms 124, these collars being held in place on the shaft by set screws 132. The section 68 may be adjusted longitudinally of the shaft 118 to t it properly to the machine by loosening the set screws 132 which hold the collars 130 in place on the shaft and adjusting the collars along the shaft.

When the bobbin thread is exhausted it is necessary for the operator to remove the bobbin from the bobbin case and replace it with a full bobbin. The upper front section of the casing covers the usual bobbin ejector lever so that the operator cannot get at this lever without opening this section. In order that the operator may be able to actuate the bobbin ejector lever without opening the casing a shaft 134 is mounted in bearings in the section 64 of the casing, this shaft extending through from the exterior to the interior of the section 64. A'n

lGo

arm 136 is fixed to the end of the shaft 134 within the section 64 and carries at its upper end an adjustable abutment screw 138 to engage the arm 324of the bobbin ejector lever. An operating arm 140 is fixed to the end of the shaft 134 outside of the section 64. To actuate the ybobbin ejector lever to eject the bobbin the operator grasps the arm l 140 and swings the same toward the rear of the machine.

Itis often necessary for the operator to left the presser-foot manually in introducing or removing the' work or in adjustlng the work in the machine. The upper front section of the casing incloses the hand lever 16 so that the operator cannot reach thls lever when the casing is closed. To obviate this diiiiculty an arm 142 (see Fig. 4) is fixed to the inner end of a shaft 144 mounted in bearings in the upper front section 64 of the casing, the upper end of the arm 142 being constructed to engage the hand lever 16 as shown in Fig. 4. The shaft 144 extends through the section 64 of the casing to the outside'thereof and an operating arm 146 is fixed to the outer end of this shaft. The presser-foot may 'be lifted by the opererator by grasping the operating arm 146 and swinging same toward the rear of the machine.

The inclosing casing above described is so constructed that it eectively retains the heat of the lnachine with the result that both the needle thread and the shuttle thread reach the 'work with the wax which has been applied to the threads in condition to make a satisfactory tight seam. In wax thread sewing machines which are not provided with inclosing casings the frequent breakage of the thread due to chilling of the wax on the thread before it reaches the Work causes a great deal of trouble. When starting such machines it is often necessary to pull out a foot or more of thread in order to put the machine in condition to run. These disadvantages are obviated by the use of the applicants inclosing casing.

In addition to retainin the heat of the machine the casing has oter important advantages. The greater part of the moving elements of the machine at the front thereof is covered by the casing so that it prevents oil from being thrown from the machine into the eyes of the operator oron to the work. The rapidly moving parts in the line of the operators vision are for the most part covered by the casing so that the eyes do not become tired from watching these parts as is the case in machines where these parts are not inclosed. The casing also acts as a guard for the parts of the machine tc prevent con tact of the shoe therewith' during the sewing operation.

Having explained the nature and scope of the inventionv and having specifically described a machine embodying the invention in its preferredform what is claimed is 1. A wax thread sewing machine for sewing outsoles to the welts of welted shoes,

-support, a presser foot, means for heating the machine, an inclosing casing for the inachine 'comprising a top section, a. series of hollow sections inclosing substantially the whole front of the machine above, below, and at each side of the sewing point, having a relatively small opening through which the stitch forming devices, work support and presser foot project beyond the contour of the casing into position for the presentation of a shoe thereto, and shaped to hug the machine closely adjacent the opening to permit the manipulation of the shoe outside of the casing so-as to present the different parts of the outsole and welt in proper position to the stitch forming devices as the point of operation is transferred about the Shoe, and means for movably supporting the front sections of the casing to enablevthese sections to be moana? thread handling devices Alocated at the frontof the machine intermediate said tulie-"and the needle, a casing for the machine inclosing the top of the machine and substantially the whole front ,0f the machine above, below and at each side of the sewing point, having av relatively small opening through which the stitch forming devices, work support and presser foot project beyond the contour of the casing into position for .the presentation of a shoe thereto and shaped to hug the machine closely adjacent the opening tto permit the manipulation of the shoe outside the casing so as to present the various parts of the outsole and welt in proper position to the stitch forming devices as the point of operation is transferred about the shoe, the casing comprising a section inclosing said thread handling devices, -and means for vmovably supportlng said section to enable the same to be opened to expose said thread handling devices.

3. A waX thread sewing machine' having s in combination stitch forming devices, a

work support, a presser-toot, an inclosing casing for the machine and manually operable presser-foot lifting mechanism mounted on the casing and extending from the interior to the exterior of the casing.

4. A wax thread, lock-stitch sewing machine having in combination stitch forming devices, includin a needle, a bobbin, a bobbin container, a obbin ejector, an inclosing casing for the machine and manually oper-y able mechanism for actuating the bobbin ejector mounted on the casing and extending from the interior to the exterior of the casing.

5. A waxthread sewing machine having in combination stitch forming devices, an inclosing casing for the machine covering the top and substantially the whole front of the machine above, below and at each side of the sewing point, having a relatively small opening at the sewing point through which the stitch forming devices project, and con structed to hug the machine closely adjacent the opening to permit the manipulation of the shoe outside the casing, said casing comprising a series of independent sections and means whereby certain of said sections may be relatively adjusted to t them together at their adjoinin edges.

6. A wax t read sewing machine' having in combination stitch formingdevioes an inclosing casing tor the head of the machine comprisln a series of movable sections one of which 1s hinged to swing downwardly to give access to the parts of the machine with- 1n the casing, a link connection between said .hinged section and the frame to limit the openmg movement thereof, and a brake applied to said connection.

' 7; A wax thread sewing machine, having, in-.combination, stitch forming devices, an inclosingcasing for the machine comprising a top section, an upper front section having a recess, a .lower front section fitting into said recess and having its edge 1n abutting relation to the .edge of the upper front section along the recess, and means whereby the lower front section may be adjusted angularly and vertically to fit it to the abutting edge of the upper front section.

8.- A waxthread sewing machine for sewing outsoles to the welts` of welted shoes. having, in combination, stitch. forming devices including a curved hook needle. a work support, a presser foot, an inclosinor ,casing forthe machine comprising a iixet top section. a hollow rear section fitted at its upper edge to the top section, and coverling vthe parts of the machine at the rear of the top section, two hollow front sections fitted together at their adjoining edges covering substantially the whole front of the machine, having a relatively small opening through which the stitch forming devices, work support and presser :toot project be- `vond the cont-our of the casing'into position for the presentation of a shoe thereto and shaped to hug the machine closely adjacent the opening to permit the manipulation of the shoe outside of the casing so as to present the different parts of the outsole and welt in proper position to the stitch forming devices as the point of operation is transferred about the shoe, and means for movably supporting the last three sections of the casing to enable these sections to be opened to expose the parts of the machine covered thereby.

9. A wax thread sewing machine for sewing outsoles to the welts of Welted shoes, having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle, a work support, a. presser foot, an inclosing casing for the machine comprising a ixed top section, a series oi movable hollow sections covering the machine at the rear of the top section, and substantially the whole front of the machine above, below,` and at each side ot the sewing point, having a relatively small opening through which the stitch forming devices, work support and presser foot project beyond the contour ot the casing into position for the presentation of a shoe thereto, and shaped to hug the machine closely adjacent the opening to permit the manipulation of the shoe outside of the casing so as to present the different parts of the outsole and welt in proper position to the stitch tor-ming devices as the A open position to expose the `,parts of the machine covered thereby.

10. A waxed thread sewing machine for sewing outsoles to the welts of welted shoes,

having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle, a work.

support, a presser foot, aninclosing casing for the machine comprising a fixed top section, a hollow rear section fitted at its upper edge to the top section and pivoted ladjacent its lower end to swing rearwardly and downwardly from closed to open osition, and two hollow front sections coverlng sub- 4. stantially the whole front of the machine,

having a relatively small opening through which the stitch forming devices, work 'support and presser foot project beyond the contour of the casing into position for the presentation of a shoe thereto, and shapedto hug the machine closely adjacent the opening to permit the manipulation of the shoe outside of the casing so as to present the different parts of the outsole and welt in proper position to the stitch forming devices as the point of operation is transferred about the shoe, and means forpivotally supporting each of said front sections to swing forwardly andy downwardly from closed to open position to expose the parts of the machine covered thereby.

11. A wax thread sewing lmachine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices, an inclosing casing for the machine com- 'prising a fixed top section, a movable rear section, and movable upper and lower front sections covering substantially the whole front of the. machine above, below and at each side of the sewing point, andv means whereby the rear and upper front sections may be adjusted laterally, the top section may be adjusted angularly, and the-lower front section may be adjusted vertically and angularly to fit the sections together.l

12. A wax thread sewing machine having in combination stitch forming devices, an inclosing casing for the machine comprising a series of independent sections and means whereby one of said sections may be adjusted linearly and angularly.

13. A wax thread sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices, an inclosin'g casing for the machine comprising a series of independent sections,

- two alined-pivot pins for supporting the opposite ends of one of said sections, and split clamps for removably clamping the supportmg pivots in position whereby thev pivot pms may be adjusted to adjust the section laterally of the machine, or one of the pins theend of the rock shaft within the casingv for lifting the presser foot, and an ioperating arm mounted on the end of sa1d\ rock shaft outside of the casing.

15. A wax thread lock stitch sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch formin devices including a needle, a bobbin, a bo bin container, an inclosing casing for the machine, a rock shaft mounted on the casing and extending from the exterior to the interior thereof, a bobbin ejecting arm mounted on the end of the rock shaft within the casing, and an operating arm mounted on the end of the rock shaft outside of the casing.

16. A wax thread sewing machine lfor sewing outsoles to the welts of welted shoes, having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle, a work support, a presser foot, machine heating devices, an inclosing casing for the head of the machine comprising a top section, a hollow upper front `section fitted to the top section at its upper edge, a hollow lower front section fitted at its upper edge to the upper front section, and. means lfor mlovably supporting the two front sectionsto enable these sections to be opened to expose the parts of the machine covered thereby, the two front sections being shaped to hug the machine closely above, at each side of, and below the sewing point to permit the manipulation of the shoe outside of the casing so as to present the different parts of the outsole and welt in proper position to the stitch formingl devices as the pointof operation is trans-l ferred about the shoe, and having a relatively small opening at the sewing point through which the stitch forming devices, work support and presser foot project beyond the contour of the casing into position for the presentation of a shoe thereto.v

17. A wax thread sewing machine for sewing outsoles to the lweltsof welted shoes,-

front section -tted at its upper edge to the Itwo front sections being shaped to hug the machine closelT labove,at each side of, and

below the sewing point to permit the manipulation of the shoe outside of the casing so as to present the different parts of the outsole and Welt in proper position to the stitch forming devices as the point of operation is transferred about the shoe, and having a relatively small opening at the sewing point through which the stitch forming devices, work support and presser foot project into position for the presentation of a shoe thereto.

THOMAS H. SEELY.

Witnesses:

"CHESTER E. ROGERS,

1E. Marion BLACK., 

